“Wipe Out” – just the name conjures up images of surf culture, high-energy instrumentals, and, most prominently, that explosive drum solo. For many, the song is synonymous with surf rock and an instantly recognizable classic. Yet, the story behind this legendary track, particularly the drummer who laid down that unforgettable beat, remained surprisingly obscure for years.
In the early 1980s, music journalist Scott K Fish embarked on a mission to document The History of Rock Drumming. He envisioned a straightforward compilation of existing research, assuming information about iconic drum tracks would be readily available. He quickly discovered this wasn’t the case, especially when he hit a wall trying to answer a seemingly simple question: “Who is the drummer on Wipe Out?” This quest highlighted the surprising lack of readily available information and became the starting point for a deeper dive into the origins of this surf rock anthem.
The Surfaris
The Surfaris in their early days, capturing the spirit of surf rock.
The Serendipitous Creation of “Wipe Out”
Fish’s pursuit eventually led him to Bob Berryhill, the original rhythm guitarist of The Surfaris. Berryhill, a “nice guy” according to Fish, provided a firsthand account of the band’s history and, crucially, the genesis of “Wipe Out.” At the time of the interview, The Surfaris, with some original members, had reunited, offering Berryhill a chance to reflect on their groundbreaking past.
Berryhill revealed that the iconic drum part of “Wipe Out” was the brainchild of Ron “Ronnie” Wilson, The Surfaris’ drummer. Wilson, a high school marching band drummer at Charter Oak High School, had a knack for creating drum cadences. According to Berryhill, “Wipe Out is essentially a drum cadence for a marching band that he never gave to a band to use.” The song wasn’t meticulously planned; it was born spontaneously in the recording studio.
The Surfaris entered the studio to record “Surfer Joe,” a song inspired by a dream Wilson had. Needing a B-side for the record, the band decided to create an instrumental track on the spot. In a mere “10- or 15-minutes,” “Wipe Out” came into existence. Berryhill recalls, “We just started kicking it around and came up with Wipe Out.”
Drum Cadence to Surf Rock Anthem
Wilson’s marching band experience was instrumental in shaping “Wipe Out.” Berryhill explained, “Ronnie got his start, I guess, making drum cadences for the marching band… He was a senior in high school… and the drumming director would ask him to come up with new cadences for the band to march to. That was his flair and he loved to do that.” This talent for crafting rhythmic drum patterns naturally translated into the infectious beat of “Wipe Out.”
The band members, Ron Wilson (drums/vocals), Jim Fuller (lead guitar), Pat Connolly (bass), and Bob Berryhill (rhythm guitar), collectively shaped the song in the studio. Berryhill mentioned the influence of “Bongo Rock,” particularly its “breaking” sections that featured drum solos. Surf rock bands of the era were known for their drum solos, and Ronnie Wilson was a natural showman, or as Berryhill playfully put it, a “ham.”
The structure of “Wipe Out” was designed to highlight Wilson’s drumming prowess. “We said, ‘Well, let’s just make a drum solo out of it and we’ll just throw a few break chords in there.’ And Jim Fuller played the melody,” Berryhill recounted.
Adding another layer to the song’s unique character was Dale Smallen, The Surfaris’ manager and producer. Smallen, experienced in creating sound effects for his documentary films, contributed the now-famous witch-like laugh that precedes the instrumental onslaught. Berryhill described the studio session: “[Dale] used to do witches’ laughs and things like that for his own documentary films. He came up with the laugh after we decided on having Wipe Out as the title. We broke some old cement plasterboard over a microphone and [Dale] let out with his witch’s laugh. And it became Wipe Out.”
Page 1 of Scott K Fish
A page from Scott K Fish’s original transcription of his interview with Bob Berryhill, detailing the history of “Wipe Out”.
Overnight Success and Enduring Legacy
Recorded in December 1962, “Wipe Out” became a number one hit in June 1963, propelling the teenage Surfaris into the spotlight with remarkable speed. Berryhill recalled, “It went rather fast. We were overnight, I suppose. We’d only been playing since, like, October of ’62 together as a group.” Their prior success in local “Battle of the Bands” contests and even sharing stages with The Beach Boys paved the way for their rapid ascent.
The Surfaris, formed almost by chance, quickly found their stride. Berryhill described the band’s impromptu beginnings: Jim Fuller and Pat Connolly’s phone call, a practice session at Berryhill’s house, and their first gig the same night, playing a four-hour dance with Ronnie Wilson, whom they had barely met. Their repertoire consisted of instrumentals by The Champs, The Ventures, and The Tornados – “simple blues… hard-driving kind of guitar sound” that resonated with the burgeoning rock and roll scene.
The band toured extensively, playing across the West Coast, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand, even backing The Righteous Brothers in their early days. Despite lineup changes and periods of inactivity, The Surfaris, featuring original members like Berryhill and Jim Pash, reunited and continued to perform, testament to the enduring appeal of their surf rock sound and, of course, “Wipe Out.”
Music icon Rodney Bingenheimer, a DJ at KROQ, aptly dubbed “Wipe Out” the “Garage Anthem.” Berryhill reflects on the song’s accidental genius: “It’s just one of those kind of songs where a bunch of guys got together and said, ‘Hey, let’s come up with a song.’ And just sort of hit it, you know? Comes out to be a classic that is remembered forever.” From cruising Corvettes blasting “Wipe Out” to its continued presence in popular culture, the song’s raw energy and infectious rhythm continue to captivate generations, forever cementing its place in music history.
record_player
The sound of surf rock: a record player spinning a vinyl, evoking the era of “Wipe Out”‘s popularity.
